Who moved my cheese ?

The internet was taken over by a food conundrum all because of a tweet about an emoji last week. For those unaware, it all started when Thomas Baekdal, a writer and a media analyst, tweeted about the placement of cheese in Google's hamburger emoji. Baekdal's tweet went viral in no time and sparked a debate on the representation of a burger in emoji form. The correct order for tomato, cheese, patty, and lettuce was hotly debated by netizens and the hamburger emoji by every tech company was majorly scrutinised.

The buzz did not fail to catch the eye of Google's CEO Sundar Pichai as well. Pichai tweeted sarcastically about dropping everything his company was doing to address the issue.

The incident showcases the unprecedented ability of a minute detail in a tiny icon to make an impact. To UX Designers, it is a clear example of how the smallest of icons can influence user behaviour. The relatable the icon, the better the user identifies with it, the more likely he or she will click on it.

The passionate debate over the correct order of the ingredients of a burger gives us an insight into how much people's preferences affect their choices. These choices need to be factored in while crafting a user's journey. Also, a burger emoji will never spur such a buzz in a country like India due to cultural irrelevancy. This is why it is crucial to have an understanding of the user's mindset, his or her geographical and cultural background to get an insight into how he or she makes choices. This knowledge can lead to a design which serves the user in a better way, thereby, increasing leads and conversions.

For these very reasons, we at TECHVED always follow a User-Centric-approach while creating all our user journeys. We understand how the minor details in the smallest of icons function and then make sure we incorporate them into our designs. We ask the users what their preferred order for the cheese is before cooking up the burgers!